Welcome to Lazytown
by The Ghost Owl
Summary: What happens when a new arrival changes life in Lazytown again?


_Disclaimer: Lazy Town and Lazy Town Entertainment belong to Magnus Scheving. I just borrow 'em for a bit of fun now and then. _

_AN: Not much here-first upload on ff.n, no beta, no amazing in-depth plot, or artistry, just a little curiosity on my part, and an attempt to get a handle on the characters. :3 Comments and criticism are nom nom nommy, please leave some on your way out. _

***

"It's not much to look at, I know, but I promise things aren't as bad as they look."

It wouldn't be hard, the old house on the edge of town must have been beautiful in the prime of life, with it's long wrapping porch, big breezy windows and even a turret that made the whole thing look like a fairy tale castle. Now, though, the wooden shingles were an indeterminate shade of grey and the windows were dark with cobwebs. The porch was off-limits for fear of an imminent collapse and the sidewalk was cracked and crumbling thanks to the maze of roots crawling away from an ancient oak. The old carriage house really _did _look like it would crumble in the wind. Beyond the falling-to-pieces old house lay a pond more green than the grass in the overgrown pasture, and who knew how many miles of fields sewn with crops waiting for autumn.

But, the girl though to herself, it wasn't the city and it wasn't being stuck in a dark, empty house while Mom and Dad were at work, and that made it almost perfect. She couldn't wait to visit the odd little town and have some fun with Bethie! It would be the best summer ever, even if she _did _have to be extra careful.

The woman smiled down at her young sister in what she hoped was a reassuring way, before hefting one of the girl's duffels to her shoulder. The wobbly screen door protested loudly before banging shut behind them for emphasis. She danced, staggered and stumbled before dramatically dropping the overstuffed bag on a well-worn kitchen table and collapsing, panting across the shiny, very obviously new, white stone counter top.

"Oh, jeeze, kid! What do you have in there? I hope you didn't bring you're whole library, or something!"

"No, Bethie, just three shelves, I promise." The girl giggled, with a very thin veil of innocents on her youthful face. Her sister rolled her eyes walking off, the bare wood bright and white and new under her boots, the kitchen smelling like a hardware store.

"Anyhow, you're room is all finished and comfy and everything, even if the outsides need a little work. Just watch where you walk, kay? There's still nails and things lying around." She grinned. "Here you go! One new bedroom, made to order! Right beside the kitchen and everything, how lucky is that?"

Afternoon sun made the pretty pale jade walls gleam, the dark plush rug almost begged for bare feet and toe-wiggles, and white lacy curtains matched a thick comforter, now much abused by her pile of bags and boxes.

A bit of sparkle on the mostly empty bookshelf caught the girl's eye, making her smile vibrantly. Bethie's collections of little glass ballerinas spun and danced and jumped across the painted wood with fairy fine and picture perfect tutus, even the one with the broken-off hand and scuffed up bits that she couldn't stop playing with three years ago.

"Are those for me? Thank you, thank you, _thank you_!" She'd had to leave her own collection of little crystal horses at home so ears and tails wouldn't be lost.

"Yeah, well, I figured you could take better care of 'em in here than I could." Elizabeth flipped her little sister's short green curls into her face to cover up the blush burning her cheeks.

"Anyhow, here's the deal: we're having a big supper when Ben and Kate get out of class, so how about I make a quick lunch and you can take a look at the town? There should be some kids running around somewhere…"

The girl nodded emphatically, ready to _move _after a long train ride into the country.

"Milk and an apple and that taco bag thingy? Please?"

"Sounds good to me! Spend some time unpacking, and I'll yell when it's ready."

***

_Thump _and _crash _and giggles echo from the ball court. A ball thudded down the court with rubbery bounces, echoing and re-echoing around the otherwise quiet park. The bright orange ball sailed through the air again, crashing against the backboard before falling to the earth like a burst balloon.

"I missed…!" Bethie blinked owlishly in surprise. "I can't believe I missed…!"

"That's ar-re! And I bet you can't make this one either!"

"Oh, you think, huh?"

From her place in the court, the girl tensed like a coiled spring and took the shot, her ball arching as graceful as a bird in flight towards the hoop. _Thump! Swish!_ The ball was cheerfully rolling away while the girls teased and laughed, eventually coming to a stop by the low stucco wall that surrounded the park.

"Hi!" Three cherubic faces peered at them from the ocher walls with bright smiles and unabashed curiosity in their eyes. A girl in a blindly pink skirt held the wandering ball, while her companions stared at the strangers.

"I'm Stephanie, and these are my friends Ziggy and Trixie."

"Hi Stephanie, hi Ziggy and Trixie! My name is Emma; my sister is Elizabeth." The girl probably couldn't look more delighted if she tried as a smile threatened to split her face in two. "We're playing horse, do you want to play, too?"

"OK! But you'll have to teach us how."

"No problem, it's easy." Emma took the ball back when Stephanie offered, and lined up for another throw. Bethie smiled, glad to see her sister was making friends already; she'd had such a difficult time of it before, she'd been afraid Emma would hate her summer vacation.

"All you have to do is…"

The other children stood as if hypnotized, watching their friend and the new girls play.

"But how," the brunette in red demanded, "do you play in that?" Trixie gestured to the black and green wheelchair with low, feline profile and wide angled, rubbery wheels.


End file.
